1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hiaasen, Carl. 2002. HOOT. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375821813
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Roy is new at his school - again. Because of his father’s job with the Department of Justice, Roy’s family has moved many times. Newly transplanted from Montana to Florida, Roy once again becomes the target of a big bully. However, as Roy’s face is being smashed into the school bus window, he sees something interesting - a barefoot boy running like the wind through the neighborhood near one of the bus stops. Roy’s curiosity leads him to find and follow the boy. What is the boy up to? Why isn’t he in school? How is he able to run like that? Roy finds the boy and the adventure that ensues in pursuit of answers to his questions plops Roy into events he never could have anticipated.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
“Roy had resigned himself to the fact that there was no change of seasons in South Florida, only mild variations of summer.” The hot, humid weather of south Florida, often sunny but just as likely to break into a thunderstorm at any moment, is an ideal backdrop for this funny tale of a boy who finds himself in the middle of an unlikely situation. With events that are wacky, funny, and sometimes tense, Roy tries to unravel a mystery is happening in his corner of the community of Coconut Cove. Something is definitely “fishy,” and Roy is determined to figure out what it is. The plot is quick and funny with a hint of suspense - enough to keep the reader flying forward to find out what is happening. And once the situation is discovered, to find out how it will turn out. Roy is a smart, witty twelve-year-old who attends Trace Middle School. He’s an immensely likeable, if not exactly realistic, middle-schooler who has discovered different ways to cope when faced once again with being the new kid. Young adult readers will find his ability to outsmart the bully quite satisfying. They will enjoy his happy, sincere demeanor, and will most likely appreciate his relationship with his parents, which is solid and positive. Roy tries to help “Mullet Fingers,” the barefoot boy who doesn’t enjoy the same advantages of a loving, supportive home. While the end of the story leaves Mullet Fingers with an unknown, uncertain future, the reader is left with the hope that he will be able to make his way in the world. Adult readers will appreciate the fact that not all the adults are portrayed as completely incompetent bumblers who are unable to do anything right. While the tale is definitely offbeat, most readers will like the outcome for both the adult and kid characters alike. Carl Hiaasen, writer for the Miami Herald and author of best-selling novels for adults, has definitely hit a homerun with this first novel for young adults which was a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults award.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*The Horn Book: “Hoot is quintessential Hiaasen - a mystery/adventure set in South Florida, peopled with original and wacky characters.”
* Booklist: “It seems unlikely that the master of noir-tinged, surrealistic black humor would write a novel for young readers. And, yet, there has always been something delightfully juvenile about Hiaasen’s imagination; beneath the bent cynicism lurks a distinctly 12-year-old cackle."
* The Miami Herald: “A tale torn from the pages of Hiaasen’s past and South Florida’s present, a rollicking, righteous story about two middle-school eco-warriors."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Research burrowing owls - What do they look like? Where are their roosts? What are their habits? What are land developers’ responsibilities toward them?
*Find out more about Environmental Impact Studies. Companies must conduct one before commencing with construction. What are the responsibilities of companies who are planning new developments? What are the results if they falsify or hide the results of their EIS?
*Plan a protest - what would be some effective ways to protest if something were planned for your community that you believed was wrong? Strategize the process that students could use to realistically protest.
Hiaasen, Carl. 2002. HOOT. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375821813
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Roy is new at his school - again. Because of his father’s job with the Department of Justice, Roy’s family has moved many times. Newly transplanted from Montana to Florida, Roy once again becomes the target of a big bully. However, as Roy’s face is being smashed into the school bus window, he sees something interesting - a barefoot boy running like the wind through the neighborhood near one of the bus stops. Roy’s curiosity leads him to find and follow the boy. What is the boy up to? Why isn’t he in school? How is he able to run like that? Roy finds the boy and the adventure that ensues in pursuit of answers to his questions plops Roy into events he never could have anticipated.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
“Roy had resigned himself to the fact that there was no change of seasons in South Florida, only mild variations of summer.” The hot, humid weather of south Florida, often sunny but just as likely to break into a thunderstorm at any moment, is an ideal backdrop for this funny tale of a boy who finds himself in the middle of an unlikely situation. With events that are wacky, funny, and sometimes tense, Roy tries to unravel a mystery is happening in his corner of the community of Coconut Cove. Something is definitely “fishy,” and Roy is determined to figure out what it is. The plot is quick and funny with a hint of suspense - enough to keep the reader flying forward to find out what is happening. And once the situation is discovered, to find out how it will turn out. Roy is a smart, witty twelve-year-old who attends Trace Middle School. He’s an immensely likeable, if not exactly realistic, middle-schooler who has discovered different ways to cope when faced once again with being the new kid. Young adult readers will find his ability to outsmart the bully quite satisfying. They will enjoy his happy, sincere demeanor, and will most likely appreciate his relationship with his parents, which is solid and positive. Roy tries to help “Mullet Fingers,” the barefoot boy who doesn’t enjoy the same advantages of a loving, supportive home. While the end of the story leaves Mullet Fingers with an unknown, uncertain future, the reader is left with the hope that he will be able to make his way in the world. Adult readers will appreciate the fact that not all the adults are portrayed as completely incompetent bumblers who are unable to do anything right. While the tale is definitely offbeat, most readers will like the outcome for both the adult and kid characters alike. Carl Hiaasen, writer for the Miami Herald and author of best-selling novels for adults, has definitely hit a homerun with this first novel for young adults which was a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults award.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*The Horn Book: “Hoot is quintessential Hiaasen - a mystery/adventure set in South Florida, peopled with original and wacky characters.”
* Booklist: “It seems unlikely that the master of noir-tinged, surrealistic black humor would write a novel for young readers. And, yet, there has always been something delightfully juvenile about Hiaasen’s imagination; beneath the bent cynicism lurks a distinctly 12-year-old cackle."
* The Miami Herald: “A tale torn from the pages of Hiaasen’s past and South Florida’s present, a rollicking, righteous story about two middle-school eco-warriors."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Research burrowing owls - What do they look like? Where are their roosts? What are their habits? What are land developers’ responsibilities toward them?
*Find out more about Environmental Impact Studies. Companies must conduct one before commencing with construction. What are the responsibilities of companies who are planning new developments? What are the results if they falsify or hide the results of their EIS?
*Plan a protest - what would be some effective ways to protest if something were planned for your community that you believed was wrong? Strategize the process that students could use to realistically protest.
*Hoot was made into a major motion picture directed by Wil Shriner and starring Luke Wilson. It was release in 2006. Students might enjoy knowing they can rent the movie to watch after reading the book.
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